


I Brought You Something

by DarkPilot



Series: Conversations that Should Have Happened/AU in which Feelings Matter - VLD [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU in Which Feelings Actually Matter, Bonding Moments, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Harry Potter References, Hospitals, Klance if you squint, Post-Season/Series 07, Sickfic, Sort Of, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-15 10:46:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16931835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkPilot/pseuds/DarkPilot
Summary: The first time Keith woke up since the Battle of Earth, his mother and Kolivan were there for him. The second time he woke up, Shiro was right by his bedside. The third time, there was an unexpected but equally welcome guest."L . . . Lance?"---Or, how Keith got those fingerless gloves back.





	I Brought You Something

The first time Keith woke up since the Battle of Earth, his mother and Kolivan were there for him. The second time he woke up, Shiro was right by his bedside. The third time, there was an unexpected but equally welcome guest.

"L . . . Lance?"

At the sound of Keith's weak voice, Lance closed the book he was reading. Another time, another place, Keith might have made some sarcastic comment about his surprise that Lance could even read. Right now, though, he was just glad for the company.

"You're awake." Lance scooted his chair closer to Keith's bed. Keith noticed that Lance was out of his hospital clothes. Had he been discharged already? "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit." Keith closed his eyes, fighting the cough that built up in his aching chest.

"You look like shit."

Keith opened his eyes again and mustered the best glare he could. "Thanks, Lance."

"No, I meant — " Lance looked terribly flustered, and Keith felt a smug smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I mean, you look terrible — I mean, you don't look terrible, you look great actually, but — you said  you feel like shit, and you look like you'd feel like shit — sorry, I don't mean it like that — "

A hoarse, choked laugh escaped from Keith's bruised lungs. His ribs hurt like hell, but he couldn't help it. Lance stared incredulously at Keith as he fumbled for the bed adjuster so he could sit up better. Almost at the same time, there was a flash of blue light, and Keith's wolf appeared at his bedside, making Lance jump back and nearly fall off his chair. The wolf nuzzled Keith's hand, teleporting up in bed with him and laying his head in Keith's lap. Keith noticed Lance staring at him. "What?"

"I don't think I've ever heard you laugh like that in my life," Lance said.

"I don't think — " Keith inhaled deeply every few words to make sure he still had air to go on. " — that I've ever — had to laugh — with a concussion and — a bunch of half-broken bones."

"First time for everything." Lance nodded at the wolf. "Can I pet him?"

"If he lets you." Keith took his hand from the wolf's mane. The wolf looked up at Keith, licked his chin once, and adjusted himself so he was closer to Lance. Lance opened his palm in front of the wolf's snout, and the wolf laid his head in Lance's hand.

"Aw, that's a good boy, Kosmo," Lance smiled, ruffling the wolf's fur.

Keith tried to roll his eyes and wound up closing them. Lance saw that, though, and asked, "Anyone say how much longer you're still in here?"

Keith wanted to shrug, but he couldn't really move his shoulders without a sharp pain bolting through his chest. "Don't know. Shiro said . . . few more days. You . . ."

"Already discharged," Lance said. "They want me back a couple times a week for follow-ups and physical therapy and the like. Allura was the first to get cleared. Maybe it's something Altean?"

"Others?"

"Pidge got out a few days after Allura, and Hunk got out a day after her." Keith's wolf left Lance's petting and gently butted his head against Keith's chest. "You took the longest. Shiro's been worried sick about you."

"Shiro," Keith repeated.

"Yeah, he's been in here pretty much every chance he gets." Lance waved his hands. "And the rest of us have been taking turns when he has to go be with the Atlas or something." 

"What . . ." Keith coughed. "Whatcha reading?"

Lance held up his book. "Harry Potter. I've been reading it to Nadia and Sylvio, and honestly, I've forgotten how good they were."

Keith leaned back in bed. "Which book?"

"Just started Prisoner of Azkaban," Lance replied. "We got to the Knight Bus yesterday."

"Favorite book," Keith said. He licked his lips. "Water?"

"Oh, yeah, of course." Lance stood up. "Hang on a second. Unless you don't mind tap water."

It took much more strength than Keith had expected to rock his head from one side to the other.

Lance went over to a counter with a sink Keith hadn't even realized was there and filled a small paper cup. When he returned, Keith raised his trembling hands to take it, but Lance kept it out of his grasp. "Oh, no, no no no you don't. Put those hands down."

Keith surrendered and let Lance put the cup to his lips so he could drink as the wolf leaped down from the bed and disappeared in a flash of blue light. He half-expected Lance to tip the cup suddenly as a joke, but it didn't happen. Keith drained the cup, the cool water seeping through his tired lungs. He sighed contentedly, and Lance offered to refill the cup, to which Keith shook his head.

Lance set the empty paper cup on Keith's bedside table. He didn't seem to be surprised by the wolf's sudden disappearance. "So, favorite book, huh?"

Keith nodded. 

"Mine's Deathly Hallows."

"How come?"

Lance shrugged. "Dunno. I just think it wraps up the series nicely, puts a pin in things. Also the part about the Battle of Hogwarts just gets to me every time."

Keith chuckled softly, and Lance asked, "What?"

"Nothing." A cough threatened to rise in Keith's throat again, and he shoved it down. "Just didn't think I'd be talking Harry Potter with you."

"Honestly, same." Lance sat down again. "I wouldn't have pegged you for a Potterhead."

Keith shrugged. "Funny story of why I started reading Harry Potter: One day, Shiro was wearing a jacket with a Slytherin patch sewn in, and I asked what it was, and Shiro just looks at me like,  _ Why the hell have you not read Harry Potter _ and proceeds to give me about a two-hour-long lecture on why Slytherins are the most underrated and overlooked Hogwarts house. I read the books just so I could understand what he was talking about."

"Shiro a Slytherin?" Lance raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't have called that."

"Well, just think about it," Keith said. He would have crossed his arms if he could. "Slytherins value pride and honor and ambition. If anything, they're the over-achiever house. And then there's Shiro breaking every single spaceflight record humanly possible, fighting a year's worth of Galra gladiator matches, and you know, leading Voltron. He has big goals, you know. That's a Slytherin thing."

"Huh." Lance scratched his nose thoughtfully. "Just like you, then?"

"Me?"

Lance nodded. "You seem pretty Slytherin to me."

"What, no!" Keith tried to shake his head as vigorously as he could. "I'm a Ravenclaw."

"Not convinced." Lance waved a finger at him. "You have some pretty Slytherin tendencies, Keith. And no offense, but you're not the smartest Paladin out there."

"Well, obviously, that's Pidge," Keith retorted. "But being Ravenclaw isn't just about being smart. It's about your willingness to go find answers, an ends to a means."

"Like when you ran off to go join the Blade of Marmora."

"Well, that was complicated, but yes."

"And when you and Allura ran off in the middle of the night to make sure Zarkon wasn't tracking you."

"Sure."

"And when you were camping out in the desert trying to figure out the Blue Lion stuff."

"Mm-hm."

"And when you insisted on getting through that wormhole to make sure Shiro was still himself."

"Yeah, I guess."

Lance touched his own cheek, mirroring the mark on Keith's face. "That's where you got that, wasn't it?"

Involuntarily, Keith's hand went to his scar. He looked away. "I don't want to talk about it, Lance."

"Have you at least talked to Shiro?"

Keith nodded. To his surprise, Lance said, "Okay then. I'm not gonna ask."

"Thanks."

"But if you ever need someone to talk to besides Shiro . . ." Lance said meaningfully. "For example, a Hufflepuff such as myself — I'm here."

Keith smiled at that. "Knew it."

Lance rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, Mr. I-only-read-Harry-Potter-to-understand-Shiro's-rants-and-now-I'm-the-fucking-Sorting-Hat-now."

"Well, that, too," Keith allowed. "But I meant, I know that I can talk to you."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Keith blinked slowly. "That's why I picked you at whatever Garfle Waffle House game show we were at with Bob. It wasn't actually that I didn't want to be stuck there with you, I mean, that was only sort of true. It's just — I misjudged you at first, Lance. And I didn't realize that until you became the Red Paladin after Shiro disappeared. You helped me keep my head on straight even though Shiro was gone and Lotor was kicking our asses pretty much every time we ran into each other. I thought you knew that, but then you remember that time you came in my room and talked to me about possibly leaving Team Voltron because you thought you couldn't add more to the team that wasn't already there?"

"Y-yeah." Lance seemed startled by Keith's sudden talkativeness. Honestly, Keith was a little surprised by it, too. He might need some more water before this was over.

"Lance, I don't think you realize it," Keith continued, "but Voltron can't go on without any one of us, whether or not we're Paladins. I mean, Shiro's not a paladin anymore, but he's still one of us. And Coran has never been a paladin, but we wouldn't be anywhere without him. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you're not unimportant, Lance. You've been there for the team, for me — I mean, you're my right-hand man now, aren't you?"

Lance sniffled and wiped his eyes. "That was fucking beautiful. Can I hug you?"

"Easy on the ribs." Keith smiled and held open his arms. Lance was gentle, almost hesitant, as he put his arms around Keith's sides. Keith shifted slightly in his bed so he could actually put his arms on Lance's back without straining his shoulders. Lance's hair tickled Keith's skin like feathers. He smelled like salt, like the ocean.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Lance pulled away carefully, setting Keith's arms down. "I brought you something."

Lance fished around in his pockets, and a packet of tissues fell out.

Keith laughed. "Thanks for the tissues, Lance."

"Oh, shut up." Lance found what he was looking for in one of the inside pockets of his jacket. "Here you go."

Keith couldn't believe his eyes when Lance handed him the pair of black racing gloves he thought he'd lost. "How — where did you find these?"

"It was after you went to join the Blade," Lance said, watching as Keith turned his gloves over in his hands. "I may or may not have snuck into your room chasing a mouse that stole one of my face masks. Anywho, I found the gloves and figured you might want them back, since you wear them all the time, but I couldn't find a time to get them to you. I hope now's not too late."

"God, Lance," Keith said in wonder. "I thought I'd fucking lost these. I was looking all over my room for them when we were packing up the lions. If I'd known you had these — "

"Yeah, I know, sorry." Lance held up his hands in surrender. "I would have gotten them to you sooner, but, you know, things kept getting in the way."

"That's fine," Keith said. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off the gloves. "I still can't believe you had them the whole time. I mean, I'm really glad you did, but God — I wouldn't have called that."

Lance shrugged. "I can see why you like them so much. I thought they were kinda dumb, but they're actually pretty comfortable."

"Yeah, they — wait,  _ what?  _ You put them  _ on? _ "

Lance cackled. "You should see the look on your face. Yeah, I only tried them once."

"Why in the  _ Sam Hill — " _

"My hands were cold!"

Keith gave Lance a much better glare than the first one he'd offered. He gestured to the empty paper cup on his table. "Can you refill that?"

"Yeah, sure." Lance was quick about his work, and he raised the cup to Keith's lips again. Keith only drank about half the cup this time, some of it dribbling down his chin. "Shit."

"I gotcha." Lance held up the packet of tissues. "Hold still."

"Oh, no you don't — "

"I said  _ hold still." _

With some weak fidgeting, Lance managed to wipe a rather flustered Keith's face and chuckled. "You're worse than Sylvio when he was three."

Keith did not glorify Lance with an answer, even as Lance jokingly pinched Keith's unscarred cheek. "You know, you look kinda cute when you're all grumbly like that."

"Call me cute one more time," Keith grumbled, "and I will throw myself out that window, steal a car, and shut myself in my desert shack."

"Cool, then that means you're outta here! Then we can finally have a team party now that everyone's discharged. You know, I've been waiting for that parade for a while now — "

Leave it to Lance to be the optimist in every situation.

Keith sighed. "Thanks, though."

Lance looked surprised. "For what?"

"The gloves," Keith replied. "Hanging out here. Getting me water. Talking Harry Potter with me. The works."

Lance grinned. "Hey, you'd do the same for me."

"Would I, though?"

"You would."

"Yeah, I would."

"You think you'll stay awake for a bit longer?"

"Think so."

"All right, wanna talk more Potter?"

"Sure."

 


End file.
